$9 million safety improvement project begins Monday at I-25/Nevada/Tejon interchange in south Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A congested area of town known for heavy traffic, significant homeless activity and bicycle and scooter riders, is getting safety upgrades from a project that starts Monday and continues through the end of the year.

"The project itself came out of a number of neighborhood and traffic studies, so we're implementing those recommendations out of that study," said Ryan Phipps, the project manager.

The project will cover three blocks of South Nevada Avenue between the Interstate 25 overpass and Brookside Street, as well as two blocks of South Tejon Street from I-25 to Motor Way.

Highlights of the three-phase project include building a center median on Nevada to improve traffic flow for northbound drivers turning left onto the I-25 connector road; constructing a pedestrian bridge across Cheyenne Creek; and installing wider sidewalks on Tejon.

Other improvements include: Widening the southbound I-25 connector road; establishing a dedicated right turn lane at Nevada; putting in new sidewalks on Nevada; and replacing the traffic signals at the Nevada/Brookside intersection.

In the project's third and final phase, crews will finish bicycle and pedestrian upgrades on Tejon.

The corridor has been the site of several vehicle/pedestrian crashes, including one that killed a homeless victim last October.

While covering this story Monday morning, The Road Warrior saw two instances where drivers nearly hit pedestrians: One involved two scooter riders and the other involved a married couple pushing their two toddlers in strollers.

In both instances, the passengers had the green light to cross.

"The roads are pretty dangerous here, and the drivers are horrible, and they don't pay attention," said Thrysten Garrett. So, it is kind of a risk to be walking across the street here."

His wife, Alexis, said that she's glad to see the project happening.

"I'm very excited to see what they do," she said.

During the project, there will be occasional lane closures and restrictions; flaggers will be present to help guide traffic; and some work will occur on weekends.

The $9 million project is financed by sales tax revenue from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority.

For more information about the project, visit: https://coloradosprings.gov/I25Ramps.